Deepti Pillay Sivan is an Indian film actress, film director and businesswoman based in Kerala, India. She is known for her lead role as Mohanlal's daughter in the movie Kalippattam starring Mohanlal and written and directed by Venu Nagavalli. She acted as the pivotal character in the movie. She also acted as a heroine in the movie Moonilonnu directed by K. K. Haridas. She is known for directing the film documentary Decoding Shankar about Shankar Mahadevan. She is currently the business head of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. Previously, she was the station head of Red FM 93.5. The documentary film "Decoding Shankar" which she directed got a nomination at Indian Panorama-2018.

Trina Dutt is a singer/songwriter who loves spreading joy and music through various genres of indie pop, soul, blues and rock. From intimate concerts and musical theatre productions to the radio, she dips her soul in the waters of all things music, singing and performing! Trina has a Diploma in Pop Vocals from the London College of Music (LCM) and a Diploma in Music Theatre (LCM), having topped India across all genres and won the 'Kawai Rolling Trophy for Outstanding Musician - Diploma (All Subjects)'. She also won the National Interschool Talent Contest 'Voice of Viva' in its 7th edition. Trina has performed in musical productions such as CATS (2014) and Lucky Stiff (2019) and was also part of the Under25 Summit in 2020 along with various online performances for charities and events alike. Trina has been training vocally for 12 years and performing for 7 years.

Mae Mariyam Thomas is a presenter, journalist, podcast producer, and audio content/production consultant with over 15 years of experience in radio and podcasting. She started her career working in radio in the UK and India. She’s most well-known for being the host of India’s first indie music podcast Maed in India which was selected by Apple as one of the Best Podcasts of 2018 in India. The show has been running for over 7 years and is a platform to showcase some of the best independent music coming out of India. In 2019, she was chosen by GQ magazine for their 50 Most Influential Young Indians. Also, Maed in India is a 2021 Webby Award Honoree in the category of Limited Series & Specials - Diversity & Inclusion. Currently, she works as a podcast consultant to develop audio ideas, design shows, and handle production and distribution of podcasts.

Sohini Roychowdhury is a classical Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, movement director, producer, author and professor of Natyashastra. She is the founder of Sohinimoksha World Dance & Communications. A premier ambassador of Indian culture, Sohini´s performances – solo and with her multinational troupe Sohinimoksha, have been garnering tumultuous audience appreciation, and rave critical reviews all over the world. A visiting professor of dance at 17 Universities across the globe, Sohini is a winner of the ‘Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman’ by The House of Lords, British Parliament; the Priyadarshini Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts, ‘Governor’s Commendation’ for Distinguished World Artiste - by the Governor of Namur Province, Belgium; She Inspires Global Woman of the Year 2021 and many more.

Kainaz Jussawalla is an author, columnist, celebrity talk show host and the winner of three awards - “The Shiksha Ratna”, the “Asian Literary Society Author Award” and the “Fuzia Woman Achievers Award” for excellence in social media. Over the years, she has written extensively for various newspapers and magazines including Savvy and The Times Of India. Her writing work includes several anthologies and one bestseller. Currently working on her third book which will be published in 2023. She studied at St Xavier’s College Mumbai and lives in Mumbai city. Kainaz Jussawalla runs an initiative under the name “Be A Friend” which provides support and companionship to senior citizens in the community. A strong advocate for body positivity and has spoken at various health forums including Health First UK, AIIMS Delhi.

Deepa Menon is the Founder and Head of PVR NEST. She is the Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications in PVR INOX Ltd, the largest and the most premium cinema exhibitor in India and the fifth largest listed multiplex chain globally. Deepa has been acknowledged by Celluloid Junkie as one of the Top 50 Women in Global Cinema in 2020 and Social Samosa Superwomen in 2022. She has received recognition for Social Impact created through Pink Centres and Garima Grih by winning the CSR Journal Excellence Awards 2022 under the ‘Health and Sanitation’ Category presented at the National Stock Exchange (NSE), BKC, Mumbai.

Mridu Bhandari is an award-winning media professional with 18 years of multi-disciplinary experience in television & digital journalism, content strategy, creation & marketing at India's leading national English news networks and the BBC in London. She is a renowned face on Indian business news platforms like CNBC-TV18, Forbes Digital, Moneycontrol and previously ET NOW. She is the primetime anchor and editor of various long-format programmes. Mridu was the youngest recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism for her path-breaking work on socio-economic issues in rural India in 2008.

Vishu Rita Krocha is a recipient of the Kohima Press Club Impact Journalism Award 2022 and a National Foundation for India (NFI) Media Fellow, 2021. She has authored three collections of poetry, A Bucket of Rain (2011), Yearnings (2019) and From the Broken Earth (2021) besides a Naga folktale children’s book, Shoposho (2015). She has also co-authored several other books including Echoes of Spring and The Chakhesangs, a window to Phek district. Her short stories titled ‘Cut Off’ and ‘A Grandmother’s Tale’ were published in the Delhi-based Zubaan publications - The Many That I Am and Homeward respectively. Her works have been published by The Hindu, The Indian Express, The Wire and Scroll.in, and she currently also writes for The Morung Express.

Dr. Akshata Narain is a debutante in the Assamese media industry. Following her family legacy, she joined M/s AM Television Private Limited as the Vice President heading four Assamese channels – Prag News, Prag Channel, Prag Cinema, and Rengoni. Driven by her vision of emancipating the women of the region, she launched her pilot project Grihini Super Star which provided a platform for homemakers to show their worth. She is also actively involved with the Prag Cine Awards, the first and only award ceremony in Northeast India honouring the cinematic brilliance of the region. Dr. Narain has produced several shows both on Prag News as well as Rengoni TV. She rejuvenated the monthly entertainment magazine ‘Geet’, and launched the only multilingual news channel in the north-eastern region.

Ujjayinee Roy is known for her versatility in various forms of performing arts. She is a singer-songwriter, actor/voice actor, Bharatnatyam dancer, columnist and poet. She has sung numerous songs in mainstream Indian music in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu films and has also collaborated and performed with international and Indian artists. Once a radio jockey with Radio Mirchi, Ujjayinee is a graded artist and composer with All India Radio and Doordarshan Kendra. She has also hosted an entire season of Zee Tamil’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. A versatile singer and lyricist in multi genres, Ujjayinee was also jointly nominated for the Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) award. She is also a popular actor in the South Indian television and film industry.

Joanne Fernandes is a dynamite singer-songwriter from Goa known for her distinctive style, versatility, presence and spontaneous live performances. Her experience over two decades with different acts and across genres has made her into a constantly evolving artist. In 2006 she won the Kingfisher Voice of Goa title for her rendition of Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love Of All. Subsequently, as a brand ambassador for Kingfisher Voice, she completed 150 events in less than 2 years making her mark as a voice to be reckoned with. Joanne went on to release two albums, "Pretty Colours" in 2008 and "Christmas with Joanne" in 2009. Since then has been touring the four corners of India and pockets of the world. Joanne was the lead singer of a musical theater show "The Playground" choreographed by the internationally acclaimed Tino Sanchez.

Ramachandran is an independent journalist from Chennai, India, with three decades of writing experience in leading Indian and international publications. Besides contributing to The Hindu, The Asian Age, Outlook and Femina magazine of the Times of India group, she expanded her work into international publications. Since 1995, she has been contributing special features for Gulf News- a leading UAE publication. Her weekly column ‘Southern Spice’ ran for 8 years from 2012-2021 in the Thursday edition of Gulf News. She also contributes to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, Japan’s Nikkei Asia and USA-based environmental publication, Mongabay. Exploring different stories ranging from people profiles to celebrity interviews; book and film reviews and little-known tales of human interest often ignored by the larger media.

Vani Madhav, a senior Odissi dance exponent of Guru Debaprasad Das Parampara, has four decades of rich experience in dancing coupled with more than 25 years of experience in teaching and research. Vani was fortunate to be a cynosure for both media and critics who praised her for her extraordinarily brilliant performances combined with aesthetic grace. She conducts dance classes under the banner “Nritya Dhara” in Gurugram. A Senior Fellow from the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, an empaneled artiste for the Festival of India overseas by the Ministry of Culture, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Doordarshan Kendra. Vani Madhav is a Member of Sanskar Bharti, Advisory Committee Member for the Central Board of Film Certification (Ministry of Information & Broadcasting), and Member of the Expert Committee for the selection of tableaux for the Republic Day parade.

Sanjukta Sharma is a writer, editor and film critic. She has written extensively on films, art, gender, society, health and wellness for over two decades in publications such as The Indian Express, Tehelka and Mint. She was editor of Mint Lounge, the weekend magazine of Mint. In 2005, she was part of an investigative team for Tehelka which exposed child sex trafficking of immigrant children in Goa in 2004. At present, she is an independent critic and screenwriter, writing for Moneycontrol.com, The Voice of Fashion and other publications. She is at work to launch her own wellness platform, The Wellness Conversation and is writing her first book, a memoir-cum-reportage, ‘The Uterus Does Not Weep’.

Supriya Parulekar is a published fiction author with ten books. Recently released books; Hide & Seek won the LiFT Award in the family drama category and ‘Into the Woods’ won the Lit Fest Award for best thriller. ‘Into the Woods’ is signed for screen adaptation.
Between 2011-2013, Supriya has worked as a script editor for TV18, History Channel. Supriya wrote a column in ‘YUVA’, a magazine, for the youth. She has translated blogs, articles, columns from Marathi to English, and has written and developed a game for Aapar Games. A series of short films scripted by Supriya are released on LIFFT India channel and along with it is a mini-series titled, ‘Saarthi’ for RBME production, directed by noted television artist Riju Bajaj. Script for a short Film ‘Raaya’- Screenplay and Dialogues. Screened at Cannes and Special Jury mention at Delhi Film Festival.

Nisha Nair is a short film director and writer and Assistant Film Director in the Malayalam Film Industry. Her two independent short films “Pumschali” and “Khila” were hits on YouTube and reached more than 1 lakh viewers. These two short films also won several awards at both International and National short film festivals. Nisha is also a singer and sang in her second short film “Khila”. After working many years as a teacher and in non-IT MNCs, Nisha resigned from corporate work for her passion of filmmaking. She has a diploma in Film Making from a private Institute in Pune. She embarked on the role of Assistant Director in a movie named “Randammukham” which is to be released shortly. Nisha has always believed in perseverance and patience through the journey of filmmaking. Her dream is to make a feature film in Malayalam.

Judy Balan is a writer and consulting psychological astrologer. Her interests lie in the intersection of depth psychology, mythology, religion, astrology and the arts. She has published six novels including the bestselling Two Fates: The Story of My Divorce. Her most recent book Why Am I Like This: A journey into psychological astrology was published in February 2023 by Simon & Schuster India and is her first foray into non-fiction.

Rimi Basu Sinha is a Singer, Composer, Lyricist, Mentor, Voice Trainer (singing) and Anchor. She is a top-graded All India Radio and Doordarshan artiste, a Hindustani Light Classical and Voice Culturing Mentor at SaReGaMa Music Academy, Mumbai, Head Of Department, Music, at Indian Television Academy Performing Arts, Mumbai, and Guest Anchor and Presenter in various online and offline music platforms, classical and non-classical musical shows with several popular albums. Rimi worked in Nairobi as a mentor, singer, and radio jockey & presenter. She has had the honour of staging many programmes on behalf of the Indian High Commission and represented India in different cultural fora.

Gajra Kottary is a short story writer, a novelist and an award-winning television script writer who has written some of the longest-running, and memorable, serials in television. Among them are Balika Vadhu, Astitva - Ek Prem Kahani, and Na Umr Ki Seema Ho, among many others. She is also an author whose forte, as in her soaps, is women-centric stories. As a journalist, Gajra has contributed stories on women’s entrepreneurial roles for the United Nations Development Program’s magazine CHOICES. As a television scriptwriter, Gajra has won every major award for writing. Gajra's lifetime collection of women-centred short stories titled Autumn Blossoms is slated for release later this year.

Dr. Sheena Prabhakaran is a passionate educator and author with 22 books to her credit, besides several research papers and UGC-approved journals. A speaker at national and international seminars, Dr. Sheena was the recipient of the following awards through her illustrious career: Innovative Educationist Award from Social Science & Management Welfare Association & Radiant Group of Institutions (2023), Sahitya Nidhi Award from Uttar Pradesh Mandal of California (UPMA), USA (2021), Thulasi Award for the Best Writer in Hindi and English, New Delhi (2020), Hindi Ratnakar Award for the literary and research work (2019). Dr. Sheena was awarded Ph.D. from Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, Chennai, for her research on the subject of ‘Illustration of Love, Sex and Violence’ in contemporary literary works.

Kamal Sidhu is a TV host, actor, producer, designer, and entrepreneur. Launching Star TV’s first in-house produced show, In The Picture, she quickly became a household name and was a fixture on MTV Asia for years to come. Kamal continued to impact audiences worldwide for the next 3 decades on MTV Europe, Discovery USA and her proprietary award-winning programs which beamed globally from Brazil to Borneo and beyond. Kamal’s Planet Ex an edgy display of global youth culture won awards in the Best Program and Best Presenter categories at the Asian Television Awards. She inspired MTV to shed light on environmental conservation and was one of 3 hosts globally whom they named a show after. Kamal continued to spread her wings as an Eco-adventurer for National Geographic Channels International where she uncovered inspiring stories and the impactful work of global conservationists on Earth Pulse. She has hosted from the Academy Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, The Eco-Challenge, countless International Fashion Weeks, Music Festivals, Olympic Games and for Conde Nast. Kamal has interviewed an extensive array of the world's leading personalities and acted in films including her latest, The Archies.

Svetlana Mishra is a well-recognized Indian and Arab face in the UAE. She has worked in hundreds of commercials and prints for some of the biggest brands in the UAE and globally. She received her acting training under the Bollywood maestro - Anupam Kher at Actor Prepares, Mumbai. Svetlana is known to be the face of Emirati women in various advertising campaigns across the Gulf, particularly in the UAE. Her endorsements include top brands like Emirates NBD, Etihad, Instashop, MASHREQ Bank and CBI. She is also a Casting Director connecting talent and opportunities through YOOCASTA (Your Own Online CASTing Agency) that she co-founded in 2018. In 3 years, her company has successfully completed more than 250 casting projects and presented opportunities to thousands of local talent in the country. She aims to support and encourage local and international artists in the UAE and contribute towards developing the media industry.

Saira Aslam is an accomplished journalist and editor with around 15 years of experience across different formats of storytelling viz. digital, print and TV. She currently leads the External communications for India’s largest stainless steel manufacturer, Jindal Stainless, as the Associate General Manager – Corporate Communications. Prior to that, she worked at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News’ digital headquarters in Brisbane as a Producer. As an Assistant Editor at The Hindu, she wrote across different genres, both for print and online mediums. She was Press Trust of India’s youngest Principal Copy Editor, handling breaking news, PM visits and foreign affairs. She was an editor at the think-tank Centre for Science and Environment’s fortnightly publication, Down To Earth, also contributing to articles for the website. She was also a Project Manager for Google’s ambitious localisation programme, leading a team of 60 onsite and on-demand language experts. She is passionate about human interest stories, politics, policy and technology.

Prem Ahluwalia is the Associate Editor of Young India, the national news magazine and Editor of Safari India, the leading business & leisure travel magazine. Both magazines are presently transitioning from print to digital. She is the author of India’s Most Powerful Women. The first coffee table book on women features 51 women achievers from different walks of life. Inspirational stories of women who are truly empowered. The book got rave reviews in the media both in India and abroad and became a bestseller.
Prem is also the Director of the Institute of South Asian Women (ISAW), Founder Member & National Vice President of All India Mahila Dakshata Samiti (MDS) and Deputy Secretary General, Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA). She has been honoured with several awards for her contribution to the women’s movement, the landmark being the ‘Hall of Fame: Lifetime Contribution Award’ conferred on her on International Women’s Day in Berlin in 2012. Among her other awards are the ‘Exceptional Woman of Excellence’ award conferred on her by the Women Economic Forum (WEF) in 2018 and several awards for her work and contribution to women's empowerment.

Priyanka Aggarwal is a Journalist & Filmmaker based in Delhi & Mumbai. She has been working on issues related to sexism, patriarchy, disability rights and climate change. She's passionate about visual storytelling and aims to bring in a larger change in society through digital stories on esteemed platforms like ScoopWhoop, VICE India and Mashable India. She has been a part of the industry for the last 6 years and produced more than 300 digital videos, posts and articles on multiple platforms.

Naina Toor is an Entrepreneur, Film Maker, Business Woman and Founder & CEO of ROOTANIAN : A Creative Agency and Production House with offices in Mumbai, Chandigarh, Dubai and Vancouver. Trained at NID Ahmedabad in Animation film Design, Fine Arts Baroda in Applied and Commercial Arts & IIM-Calcutta in Strategy and Leadership. She has evolved as a seasoned professional in the creative space with 20+ years rich experience with industry leaders such as Sony, Star and Disney, DHL, Hyundai, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sony LIV, etc and multiple Global Design Houses. With a passion for innovation and impactful work, she is exemplifying resilience and determination. Naina's journey is a testament to her unwavering commitment to her vision, which has seen ROOTANIAN flourish. She also paints sometimes. Naina Toor stands as a shining example of a strong woman who fearlessly breaks barriers and inspires others to do the same.

Padma Damodaran is an actor, writer, theatre director/producer and trainer. She runs her own theatre company, Red Earth Stories, and is a co-founder of the Drama School Mumbai. She currently appears in many web series including Taj: Divided by Blood (Zee5), Farzi (Amazon Prime) and Criminal Justice Season 2 (Disney+Hotstar). You can see her live on stage in Heeba Shah's sci-fi play, What Happened?! and Smita Bharti's dark take on paedophilia, Ghat Ghat Mey Panchi Bolta Hai. Padma has directed and produced plays, which have performed at prestigious venues like the NCPA, Prithvi and G5A, among other venues. Padma is a trained Bharatnatyam and Mohiniattam dancer, and has trained in Carnatic and Hindustani vocals. She has a Master's degree in Acting from East 15 Acting School, UK. A former business journalist, Padma loves reading, music, travelling. You will mostly find her with a smile on her face and jig in her footsteps.

Sohini Mukherjee, a filmmaker and creative professional in the Hindi Film Industry, discovered her passion for cinema after a career in cancer research (Europe). Beginning with teaching dance and music across multiple schools, she founded the Chorea Dance Academy. Sohini's journey naturally led her to filmmaking, where her storytelling prowess shone in her debut short film "Doppelganger," earning accolades at festivals like Delhi/Mumbai/Kolkata Shorts International Film Festival and Khajuraho International Film Festival. Co-founding Candid Canvas Production, she diversifies into brand films, series, trailers, promos, and music videos. Sohini continues to relish her artistic pursuits, cherishing the chance to follow her passion in the world of filmmaking.

Sonam Saigal has been a print journalist for over a decade and was with The Hindu in her last role as a Senior Assistant Editor. She has been a legal correspondent who has also written on politics, crime, health and issues related to women and children widely. She has studied journalism and done her Social Communications Media from Sophia Polytechnic and is a law graduate. She is currently working for a non-profit, Catalysts for SOcial Action working for the betterment of children in need of care and protection as a Senior Manager - Advocacy and Communications.

Roopashree Nair is a seasoned business journalist with more than fourteen years of experience across media platforms including print, television and wire. Currently, she is working as a Chief Correspondent with the Press Trust of India at its headquarters in New Delhi. A quintessential storyteller, Roopashree is an avid observer of public policy formulation while reporting from various government ministries. She has extensive reporting experience of Parliament and international assignments in the US, France, Germany, China, Korea, UAE, Colombia and Sri Lanka. She holds an MBA degree from Nagpur University. Roopashree studied Public Policy Analysis from the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science online. An aspiring teapreneur, her leisurely pursuits include spending time with her little daughter, taking a quiet stroll in nature and dishing up culinary delights for her loved ones. She is also the recipient of the Women Economic Forum's 'Iconic Women-Creating a Better World for All' Award.

Sumana Ramanan is an award-winning Bangalore-based independent journalist with more than three decades of experience. Before this, she was an editor, a columnist and a correspondent with leading publications. Until late 2023, she was based mainly in Mumbai, with stints in Germany, Israel-Palestine and the UK. She is also working on her first book, of narrative non-fiction, which is expected to be released at the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025. She is associate director of Literature Live!, which holds the Mumbai International Literature Festival. She is an avid student of Hindustani vocal music, and since 2016, has been learning from Pandit Arun Kashalkar. She is an aspiring yogi.

Preetha Athrey is an experienced and seasoned leader, marketer and digital brand strategist who has built and run diverse marketing teams, and social and digital programs from scratch across leading global organisations. With over 20 years of experience in marketing, sales and business development across 20+ markets in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. She has a proven track record of building successful brands and scaling businesses. In her last role at Twitter, Preetha served as Director and Head of Global Business Marketing, focusing on building the Twitter business brand for APAC. Before Twitter, she was at Time Warner, Airtel, Apollo Tyres, India Today, and Radio Mirchi wearing many different hats, including Business Development, Sales, and Marketing. Preetha is currently a 2X Founder / Entrepreneur, and leads Mavens360, specialising in strategic marketing, online brand strengthening, and crafting impactful narratives across diverse audiences and cultures. She is also the co-founder of Tap in Tribe! A new initiative looking at women in leadership; emphasizing mentorship, allyship and upskilling opportunities.